SotR Developers on Buffing Lara's Muscles, Expanding RPG Elements & Adding A New Multiplayer Twist

Shadow of the Tomb Raider's Creative Director and Senior Producer talked about the buffed up Lara Croft, expanding the RPG elements from Rise and adding a multiplayer mode with a new twist.

[KaiPow]

I hope the multiplayer is something more unique than just wave defense.

[Mr Marvel]

I wish there was no multiplayer at all.

[ChrisW]

Rise of the Tomb Raider had survival co-op... It wasn't bad. My hope is that Shadow's twist will be full cooperative missions.

If it's any sort of deathmatch or BR style... I agree, no multiplayer at all

[JohnnyPremo]

Dont play it. It really is that simple.

[BQ32]

I don't get these people. I'm primarily a multiplayer gamer finding typical ai to be monotonous, easy, and boring. That doesn't mean I wished for titanfall 2 not to have a single player that others might enjoy. These type of people probably would wish for the Last of Us to not have MP. But the multiplayer in that game ended up being the best competitive gaming experience for the Last two console generations. Stop being selfish, many games can be great in both respects or if only side is good it can make the game a good purchase even if lacking otherwise.

[LoveSpuds]

I hate how they shoe-horned in multiplayer in the previous titles, especially how they put half of the trophy list towards MP, it stopped me bothering to mop up campaign odds and ends for a platinum trophy.

[Jaypi03]

Don't worry, this time i'm sure microtransactions will be involved, it's a game changer! /s

[ccgr]

At least she won't get black eyes from her breasts anymore

[Alexious]

What do you mean?

[rpvenom]

I want bigger boobs

[Alexious]

They do seem slightly bigger in the new model, perhaps due to increased weight.

[iofhua]

The original Tomb Raiders depicted a busty Laura. The new PC Laura is practically flat.

I have no interest playing a non-bodacious babe.

[gangsta_red]

I'm in 100 percent agreement. In fact I think it's offensive that she doesn't represent large chested women like before.

[2pacalypsenow]

@The original Tomb Raiders depicted a busty Laura. The new PC Laura is practically flat.

The one from the movie looks like a 12 year old, so glad my generation had Angelina Jolie.

[rainslacker]

So long as they don't mess with Tifa's in the FF7 remake all will be fine. They make her flat chested and people would actually probably revolt on the streets.

[Rachel_Alucard]

This

[bluefox755]

Right? When they made her boobs smaller for the reboot, the implication seemed to be that there was something "wrong" with large breasts.

[UltraNova]

Why not make here muscles and boobs bigger? Double whammy...

[Imalwaysright]

You mean poked eyes? https://i.imgur.com/1QRbayN...

[Yui_Suzumiya]

Lel

[ShinMaster]

You say that like that was an issue in the last two games where her character clearly had her bust size significantly reduced.

Or at all, actually. Her breasts never had physics.

[Silly gameAr]

But, that's the Lara Croft that most of us grew up with. Big boobs never hurt anybody.

[Dizzy11523]

Whatever no one asked for muscles on Lara.

[ShinMaster]

She looks fine. Toned, not "buff".

[gamer7804]

Incorrectly toned. Her triceps could not be larger than her biceps, other reviewers have also noticed this. they should have made her physique at least a little closer to the original.

[gamer7804]

@ImGumbyDammit I'm talking about depth of triceps not length, this is where they have incorrectly modeled her. (despite the fact that she doesn't really look more athletic, just more thic)

[ThunderGod_Cid]

True. But we have asked for boobs on Lara.

[Dizzy11523]

Boobs yes. Muscles no.

[DafunkyRebel]

I mean it does make sense since she be all physical in these games, got to put on some heft if she wants to hold them two pistols at the same time

[rainslacker]

Just doing all the moving and climbing she does would mean she'd likely be toned.

I don't have a problem with the muscles themselves, they seem realistic enough for the type of character she is. I don't care for the general character model though. She's kind of plain jane all around, and doesn't even resemble the original Lara at all, even without the considerable reduction in breast size making her seem more like a teenage girl fresh out of high school.

[-Foxtrot]

Multiplayer? Regardless of what it is, you tried a form of it, it didn't work, it wasted resources. Should have learnt from that.

[AnubisG]

How much do you want to bet it will be a form of battle royale?

I don't know why they want to keep forcing MP on Tomb Raider. That franchise should be taken away from SE. I'm a TR fan since the very first and I'm not too happy with this new direction nor am I happy with them trying to force MP on a clearly sp game. I want TR to go back to it's roots after this dark trilogy is over.

[-Foxtrot]

Square Enix are coming off like the Japanese EA...not as bad but they are getting to that point where even though the games are playable they will force in Multiplayer or co-op into any game they can.

Then you have their DLC pratices which seems like they do less in the main game and most other stuff comes from DLC. Look at the 7 month post release content they have planned for this...it's not even out and they've planned SEVEN MONTHS of stuff.

Lastly you have what they did to the franchise, enjoyable sure, quality games which are good to play of course but "Tomb Raider"...nope. Could have called the first game "The Island" or something catchy and you'd have a new IP not bound by any roots.

[Derceto]

They aren't "becoming" the Japanese EA. They have been the Japanese EA for some time already really.

[Cueil]

the article says it's a non-competitive MP component so no BR MP

[gamer7804]

This 100%

[Jinger]

Well they tried, failed, released an SP ONLY game and now want to try again. I dont mind of they want to try new shit. I mean if action platformer Uncharted can do it, no reason TR can't.

[-Foxtrot]

They failed because they went into a stupid partnership with a console that didn't really house most of the franchises install base.

Uncharted had NaughtyDog behind it...there's a bit of a difference here and the first time Uncharted did multiplayer it was amazing. Barebones and skill based...it was an afterthought to the main game, they wern't even trying.

[Jinger]

@Foxtrot

Rise of the Tomb Raider didn't have MP, only the first one did I believe. So if they want to try again, I don't mind.

And please, don't ever call UC's Multiplayer amazing and skill based, that is just silly. It is fun, but completely casual with hardly any depth.

[Vknsnoob]

Yeah, she is real Arnold Schwarzenegger now!

[showtimefolks]

this industry is going down the drain when you have all these morons try to force the developers to make female character look a certain way

Anita Sarkeesian

this person is responsible for so much of whats wrong with gaming today

[AZRoboto]

If you spend years rock climbing and adventuring and being physically active, guess what happens?

Your arms may just get... Bigger. More toned. Stop whining about Anita and grow up.

[showtimefolks]

i am not even talking about that. My point was simple if a developer today tries to make a female character's assets enlarged in a AAA game than you have people like Anita Sarkeesian who have their feelings hurt. It's very well known publishers bring her during development t get her feedback on some of these matters. And people like her force the publishers to hire people based on gender/sexual preference more than talent

maybe it's you needs needs growing up since you seem to know nothing about these things

[Inzo]

Anita Sarkeesian is the bane of the gaming industry, the sooner she is out the better.

[Atticus_finch]

Who is forcing the developers to make this change? I'm pretty sure they came to this decision after hours, days, or weeks of planning.
Stop being the moron you seem to hate and don't try to force developers against their wills.
Buff females exist in case you didn't know.

[TricksterArrow]

What does this have to do with anything?

This is not the first iteration of Lara to be buffed up. Actually, her movie counterparts were always pretty buff (as reality would dictate) and in Underwold she is actullay f**** ripped. Also, her breasts were always bigger than average, including the current one. No one cried about it then, why are people crying about it now?

[AnubisG]

Oh for the love of God. Why are they trying to force MP on Tomb Raider again? Why wast time and money on it? Just make the campaign longer and focus on that to be as good as possible. Wasn't it clear after the TR reboot? We don't want MP in TR. Well, at least I sure as hell don't.

[The_Jackel]

prob coz lead dev is on xbox maybe ms gave money for mp or square is just doing it to make money off in game purchases either way would rather not have mp maybe a coop mode to make the game with a friend fun

[il-JumperMT]

what waste of resources doing multiplayer

[ErogeMaster]

Turning her into a true killer huh.

[Derceto]

I dunno. If I wanted to play a man in an adventure game, I'd load up Uncharted.

If I wanted to play a woman that looks like a man, well......... actually, I never would want to play that.

SquareEnix just needs to die already. Or at the very least, be forced to sell of all its IPs due to financial trouble. One can hope.

[xHeavYx]

She looks like a man because she has more muscle? You must be very muscular yourself then.

[Relientk77]

Excited to see the RPG elements

[quent]

She's almost completely rubbed out as the Lara croft character at this point, next up a crew cut and a reveal that she's only into woman

[Tankbusta40]

They should just put her head on Arnold's body from the early 80s...it would make the game more believable with as much man ass she kicks in these games.

[Eldyraen]

The new poses model makes her look like a doll so I hope in game it looks better. Maybe the pose is for a collector’s edition statue or something as it looks very flat visually speaking (clothes and skin wise—like most matte finishes on a car, just lack character and depth).

[RedDeadLB]

Just as RPG elements killed the last one for me, further expanded RPG elements already killed this one in my book.

[Yui_Suzumiya]

So it's okay in God of War but not this?

Okay.

[Snakefist30]

But God of war is a hack and slash game.Tomb Raider is a Uncharted like adventure.

[RedDeadLB]

You're talking different games in different genres with different gameplay mechanics.
Tomb Raider should be as far removed from an RPG as possible.

[plmkoh]

Bingo, they need to create real content and unlocks, not pad the game with different variants of the same arrows.

[SlashHabit]

Lara Croft’s dual-pistols were a thing back in the PlayStation 1 days. It was iconic for the character to wield two pistols, however, Dan Bisson, the game director for Shadow of the Tomb Raider, said he does not want that for this Lara Croft.

“No. I don’t want that. For us this is her defining moment,” said Bisson in an interview with Xbox Official Magazine team (OXM June 2018 Issue). “We’re not going to put her in shorts with double-pistols, wearing a bikini; that’s not what this is.”

Sounds like someone is projecting.

[rainslacker]

Guess shorts shorts are considered taboo nowadays. Makes me wonder why half the women I see out and about on a spring or summer day wear things shorter than Lara ever wore.

I also don't see what's wrong with her dual weilding pistols. It made her more of a bad ass, and not the whiney little brat she's become. I personally don't care for the new definition they have for Lara. It hasn't been a good change. has nothing to do with her looks. Her personality is lacking. The original was strong, confident, sexy, and capable. This new one is only capable because she's required to be for the game, but the game's stories themselves don't support that because they try to make her too fragile and with too many flaws in an attempt to make people relate to her more.

It's pretty sad that they think they're doing a good job with the character to be able to somehow make the statement that that character isn't appropriate for the modern age.

[TheGoodestBoi]

Dunno bout the multiplayer but more rpg elements are welcome

[PhoenixUp]

I liked the multiple in Tomb Raider ‘13. Glad to see it make a return

[DivineAssault]

I prefer the SP portion to be top notch before using resources on MP.

[Tankbusta40]

Yeah but they can only make their money ONCE for a single player story...if they have multiplayer they can add lootboxes in an attempt to cash in!

I mean don't you know that people who work on video games get paid less than children working in sweat shops in Bangladesh? Lootboxes are the ONLY way to make more than 5 cents an hour for these poor souls!

[masterfox]

still they aren't buffing the correct areas, shame!

Update: lol now after seeing those pictures she looks like those box shape feminazi people XD, she really looks bad.

[Tankbusta40]

God you are sexist!!!

I say they should make it look like Asa Kate Dillion from Billions!! No gender pronouns either

[rainslacker]

Naughty Dog seems to be doing the same thing to Ellie. I know she's older, but she didn't age well IMO. Only seen her face so far though, and won't complain until I see more.

[ThunderGod_Cid]

Can they at least buff her boobs? Those definitely need to be improved.

[Cueil]

that's a lot of core muscle they packed on her which makes a ton of sense considering her lifestyle of choice.

[CrystalFantasy]

I'll never understand this fascination with western devs trying to make female character look like men. Smh.

[blackblades]

I hope multiplayer doesn't have trophies, it was a pain on the 1st game.

[Traingamez]

lol only through the magic of animation can your arms get more shredded as you develop a beer belly

reality does not allow this

[rainslacker]

Typically if you buff up in the abdomen you'll actually build muscle there too. At the same time, building the leg muscles will usually also increase the muscle mass on one's hips, giving the appearance of a larger belly on a woman.

[Teflon02]

I mean... I'm not too picky on Character looks,but Laura has always been about fitting a ideal for looking sexy and being an adventurer. Now not to say muscle and build on a woman is ugly, but come on. Laura was always a flat stomach woman with a but and boobs. Yes I'm aware it's more likely you have one or the other, but that was part of her appeal. They changed her in the reboot, I was okay with that because they made her with a great face, an well toned. That made sense honestly, but then I played tomb raider and seen that new Laura was just a victim for the few hours I played and said this isn't what tr is to me. What gets me though is, even doing this. They took away all her appeal down to her face, she literally looks like a Nathan drake clone now. You can add and still make her look decent Atleast I think aloy is a perfect example, she has muscle but still has a appeal to her look

[Tankbusta40]

Aloy was a cross between Blake Griffin and Dog the Bounty Hunter... C'Mon MAN

[Teflon02]

She's based off a dutch actress I Believe it was. GG confirmed they used her for aloy. I believe the name was Hannah Hoekestra or along those lines. Don't know why you look at females and see guys lol

[BassMan125]

That screenshot confirms my fear. The graphics are worse than RoTR and Lara's "semi-military" design looks too generic compared to her survival looks from the past 2 games.

Really hoping that's not the final product.

[keys1579]

Is this really a topic?

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Ofcourse it is. People need something to bitch about so Lara having muscle akin to what rock climbers or those that workout heavily seems totally foreign to the masses here. Just go search images of female rock climbers and you will see her muscles are the norm for someone doing lots of climbing and actual physical exercise. Heck look at Michonne in the walking dead..... lets get over it people.

[r3f1cul]

ugh did they not learn from the first game MP is just aids and isnt needed at all ... you got so lazy and predictable with the story last game you'd figure they would devote more time to writing a better story instead of wasting assets of lame ass multiplayer so they can microtransaction the shit out of you

[BadElf]

But Breasts are still too small? Why? Yeah, make her Triceps bigger...that will be great........

[r3f1cul]

confused ... she is a straight savage with climbing strength and running ... that build doesnt even make sense .. tbh she just looks fatter with more defined tri ceps for some very odd reason im not sure of in the slightest O.o

[BlaqMagiq1]

But where's my triangular breasts?

[PrinceVegeta]

Mmm.... muscles

[KillBill]

She is too thick in the images. I imagine her character as having more of a woman's sport climbing physique.

[isf1368]

can you check this out?
http://dastgahechapebanner....

[MadManMcGee]

SotR? Shadow of the Raider?

[terstomp]

More boobs, more curves, less muscle, that's all I want.
And no multi player, waste of resources.

[Tsar4ever01]

Like her new build. Now she wearing proper 'Adventures Clothing'. It's said she wears 'pants with reinforced knees' I would've opted for tactical military knee-pads, but meh, I'm not developing the game. Now all she needs now is (Tac elbow pads) and her little back pack she always use to carry with her like in the original games.